Meet Heather
Dr. Heather Gibson D.P.T is a Texas native that fell in love with Arizona when she moved here for her undergraduate studies in Kinesiology at Arizona State University. She then studied at Northern Arizona University, earning her doctorate in Physical Therapy.
She has been a physical therapist for eight years, early on treating a wide variety of general orthopedic conditions in the traditional outpatient settings.
She has three years experience in treating a variety of women’s health conditions, with board approved continuing education courses for pelvic floor examination and treatment interventions.
She has gained deep knowledge pertaining to pregnancy and postpartum rehabilitation by having completed multiple courses and certifications from Herman and Wallace as well as The Gray Institute‘s female chain reaction and the pelvicore system.
My journey into women's health therapy
My initial interest in pelvic floor PT actually came about when my twin sister had her first child and had severe pelvic floor complications to follow. I was upset that I wasn’t able to help her like I wanted to. At this time had no training in treatment of pelvic floor conditions, and pelvic floor PT in the Phoenix area was limited with not many practitioners specializing in the field. We were both frustrated with the lack of professional information and care available. Advice from her doctors included just “give it time, you will bounce back” or “your body won’t ever be the same, you had a baby!”.
From then on I was determined to help other women along in their transition into motherhood, and started researching what certifications I needed in my field to specialize in this area of women’s health.
After having my son, I also went through challenges in recovering from my own pelvic floor conditions. Having experienced the trauma first hand is the primary reason I am so passionate about working with this population. As a mother myself I know how challenging and hard it can be during this phase of life, especially when dealing with a rapidly changing list of diagnosis in that postpartum stage.
I strive to enable and empower my patients to have the confidence and tools to feel strong during the transition from pregnancy to postpartum life. I have found the keys to a successful recovery when treating conditions during the postpartum phase are proper education, support early on, ensuring a good foundation prior to or in early pregnancy, maintaining fitness and connection to your pelvic floor during pregnancy and appropriate early postpartum care.
I am a firm believer that it takes a tribe of people to have the full support and care you need during your recovery process and I strive to help organize appropriate referrals for adjunct services from other healthcare and wellness providers. This includes pain management (if needed), massage, labor prep and support (including doula care, acupuncture, mental health and counseling needs), nutrition considerations and prenatal/postpartum yoga and fitness.
